Homeless Joe's Internet Fame Was Gone as Quick as It Came

In 2015, Homeless Joe became an internet celebrity for his special brand of means of survival. He was found living on the streets of New York City and heavily into drugs and alcohol. He was also into sleeping with women in order to have a different place to stay as needed. When Elite Daily spoke to him about his lifestyle back in 2015, he was nonchalant about his penchant for picking up women and getting stupid drunk every single night.

And maybe that would have been okay for anyone else in their '20s, but he had more to worry about. Not long after, Elite Daily spoke with Homeless Joe again and he updated them on his life at the time. Then, he was clean and living at a sober house while working an actual full-time job. It seemed that, somehow, his overnight fame had helped him change. But after that, he was basically a ghost and five years after the world was introduced to Homeless Joe, they want to know where the heck he is.

Six months after the documentary came out detailing Joe’s struggles on the streets, he reached out to Elite Daily and they flew to Texas to film an update. At the time, he was living in a sober house, dating a coworker, and was off drugs. Joe was on the road to recovery. His Instagram at the time even showcased his one month and nine month chip for sobriety and he was proud of himself for how far he had come. Afterward, however, he relapsed and moved states, potentially for a fresh start.

Joe was an overnight celebrity for being the cocky and clever homeless guy people never knew they needed. He was often accosted for autographs on the street and, for a little while, he rode on his 15 minutes of internet fame. Then, he went on Dr. Phil, where he was urged to check himself into rehab. Not long after his episode, Joe went back to his former life. Now, according to his Facebook, he is living in California, but he hasn't updated any of his social media accounts in a few years.

Despite his fast rise to fame, Joe has actually been living a more low-key life. So much so that neither his Instagram or Facebook pages have been updated since 2016 and 2017, respectively. One of his last Facebook posts mentioned giving up the social media website for a year and if he decided to go dark altogether, it might have been best for him.

Joe’s short-lived fame didn't do much to help him at first, but he was on the right track at one point. Maybe being away from the internet and hopefully focusing on himself is exactly what Joe needed. Unfortunately, he hasn't been heard from much since he was on track in getting his life together, so hopefully Homeless Joe is still working hard at it.